Asia

This is Asia. Here's the only video I could find tonight and a picture down below. I'll try to look for some when she was younger.  

Walks turned into a love/hate relationship as she got older. But she did love the cold tile after walks. 

Social Media Project

For this social media project, we were tasked with working as a group to analyze and recommend improvements to the social media sites of a company. We chose ESPN. Sounds simple enough, right? Let's just say that this project was a lot more stressful than I was expecting. That being said, I wasn't expecting to take on the leadership role before the project began. A week after the project was posted, there was nothing in the discussion board for my group. I thought, "Hey, I'll try to get things rolling by posting first!" People slowly started responding and by a few days before the project was due, everybody had responded and I had slipped into the organizing/leadership role. I didn't think it would be that bad, but communication is simply not the forte of some people. Our final report can be seen here: ESPN Report wiki page

Screenshot of part of the Youtube section in our Report

By the end of the project, most people had done their work. The work in itself was not that difficult, but it gave me a lot of insight into the social media operations of a large business. I was assigned to do two different tasks, but I ended up researching the rest of the social media operation of ESPN because I was interested. I learned a lot about what it takes to have a successful social media program. It actually takes quite a lot of commitment. But then again, when a company is as successful as ESPN, you can hire plenty of staff to keep twitter, youtube, and facebook running at 100%. ESPN often has more than 20 posts per day on both youtube and twitter. It takes a lot of time to keep up with those tasks.

During all this research, I learned that integration of social media sites across all platforms is key. You want facebook, youtube, and twitter connected to the company's official website. Youtube videos are posted on both facebook and twitter to enhance news stories and sports highlights. ESPN even incorporates fans into on air shows by including questions and comments from their social media sites. Sportscenter (one of ESPN's main programs) often enlists twitter to suggest the day's top plays by tweeting #SCtop10. It is a nice way to keep fans involved by reading their tweets on air. Everything runs seamlessly together except for the fact that ESPN didn't link to social media sites on their web page.

This project could have been much worse. I had a wonderful group for the most part. Half of them were actively updating me on their progress while the other half got their work done in a timely fashion. Only one person did little to contribute (in this case I learned to have contingency plans ready in a leadership role in case somebody fails to do their work). Overall, I learned a great deal about social media and how it is applied by large companies. ESPN was a great example of how to use social media to it's potential. There were very few ways for them to improve, and all our suggestions were relatively minor changes.

Week 13: Clear

I wouldn't yet go as far to say that social media is vital to the success of a business. Yes, it is a powerful tool. Yes, it can lead to an increase in customers and higher levels of customer loyalty. Businesses could survive without social media, but why bypass this tool?

In the last decade, social media has gone from almost non-existent to a vital part of business operations. How did this happen? Here are a few stats to show why:

• Facebook- Took 4 years to amass 100 million users. Since then, has grown to over 800 million users. https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=28111272130 and http://mashable.com/2011/09/22/facebook-800-million-users/
• Twitter- In the last 6 years, twitter has gained 140 million active users. A year ago, there were 140 million tweets a day. This year, that number has more than doubled to 340 million tweets per day. http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/21/six-year-old-twitter-now-has-140m-active-users-sending-340m-tweets-per-day/
• Youtube- In 2005 (when the site was launched), there were over 8 million video views per day. Now, there are over 4 billion video views per day along with 800 million unique visitors every month. http://www.website-monitoring.com/blog/2010/05/17/youtube-facts-and-figures-history-statistics/ and http://www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics

If it's not already clear why social media is a vital part to businesses today, it's because hundreds of millions (and more likely billions) of people use social media on a regular basis. This is less important for advertising than it is for interacting with consumers. In my personal experience, companies that respond to customers on twitter and facebook and post original content on youtube are making an impression on consumers. Home depot is a great example of a company using social media to it's potential. They answer questions and help with home projects regularly on twitter. They respond to feedback on facebook. Above all, they encourage do it yourself projects and regularly post tutorial videos on youtube to inspire creativity in home improvement. Although not all are the most exciting of videos, they are fantastic references for a wide variety of home improvement projects. Here is part three of how to build a deck:

Home Depot is doing social media right, but it can also hinder companies. While I don't believe a social media presence is necessary to running a successful business, it can help a great deal. It can be a boost for small startup businesses or a way to connect large corporations to the customer base. No matter the size of your company, social media is a step in the right direction.   

Avatar Creation

Today, I got the opportunity to create an avatar. The first thing that came to mind when thinking about avatars is a bizarre little youtube music video by Felicia Day. I'll make sure to link to that at the bottom. Now, when looking through possible sites to create a digital me, I remembered that I had not yet created an avatar for my Xbox live profile! So, I went on over to the Xbox website and got to work.

There were a great deal of options in creating this little guy. There were actually more options here than with any of the other avatar creation tools I looked into online. I could pick my hair style, eye shape, ear shape, mouth shape, chin shape, etc. I could pick from a wide variety of different clothes styles and colors. There were watches, armbands, hats, and face painting possibilities. I ended up going with a pair of jeans, a white shirt with an orange and blue tie, and an orange armband just to represent the gator nation. I tried to make my hair style and color along with eye color as close to reality. When I was all finished up, this is what my avatar looked like: 

He has green eyes, brownish hair (which happened to be parted while I was creating him), and an overall casual gator football fan look about him. Creating him was very easy. The tools on the website were clearly labeled and everything was very organized. I never had an trouble trying to figure something out and there was more than adequate customization capabilities. Most importantly, I now have somebody to represent me on my xbox live profile!

Now, here is a little extra avatar fun. This video is awkward, hilarious with the right mindset, and actually catchy all at the same time. It is a project by the cast of "The Guild", which is an web series by Felicia Day. Enjoy! 

Google+

When I first started using google+, I didn't know anybody else that had it. It felt like I was the only person in the world using it, but that quickly changed. Now, I have about thirty friends who are also using the site along with some family that lives out of state. That might not seem like a very large number of people, but they are all people I interact with on a regular basis.

Image created by Matthew Baranyk, 2012

I created four different circles for various groups of people. There is some overlap, so circles are not mutually exclusive. If a person is in one circle, they may very well be in another. The strong majority of my time spent using google+ (90% or more) is in hangouts. I believe that this is the best option for doing video chat with a group of people. A typical hangout summary is shown to the left. Scrolling down my profile, I see I have only made one post, commented on three posts, and been involved in 38 hangouts. That paints a pretty clear picture as to how I use google+. I really like the Hang Out option. It is a great way to keep in touch with people you meet that live far away. I generally "hang out" with people I met in California one summer who live in California, DC, Oregon, New York, Canada, England, United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Brazil among other places. It's nice to be able to see all these people at once and keep in touch despite the distance.

As far as this article is concerned (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389102,00.asp), I don't think the results of the poll are an accurate indicator of people leaving facebook for google+. The poll indicates a mass exodus from facebook, but that is incredibly unlikely at the moment. Google+ needs to attract more people and really find an identity. I personally choose to use both. Facebook is better for sending messages back and forth and interacting with people in an organized manner while google+ is better for video chatting with groups of people. Facebook has a big advantage over google+ right now, but if google+ can make some changes, it might be a threat. I will continue using both for different purposes in the foreseeable future.

Week 12: Clear

The day has finally come where I get to make a post regarding a controversial (as far as video games are concerned) topic: whether video games are harmful to the youth of the United States. Some of you may believe that video games are the root of all evil. I on the other hand, believe they are about 95% healthy for kids. That's even more healthy than Honey Nut Cheerios! Now, I'm going to address why games are not to blame for violence and childhood obesity and lay out a few benefits as well.

Online Games NOT to Blame

For some reason, a lot of people have a problem with online gaming and gaming in general. Apparently, it is to blame for violence in kids and childhood obesity among other things. I can only assume it is due to a general ignorance among non gamers in regards to gaming culture. As a 20 year old gamer myself, I may be biased. But, based on statistics and the fact that I interact with gamers on a regular basis, I believe the causation of the aforementioned problems should not be attributed to gaming.

Violence

The first issue is whether games cause an increase in violent behavior. I don't like to limit this argument to kids because kids shouldn't be playing overly violent games in the first place. Due to game ratings, violent games (most of which are rated M for mature) cannot be bought by children. Adults should not let kids play these games. On to the statistics... Violent crimes peaked in the US in 1994. According to the US Department of Justice, since then, violent crime has been on a steady decline. Violent games have only been increasing in popularity since then. Obviously, there are other factors involved, but this should at least be an indicator that violent games are not the cause of violence. Violent games can be an outlet to release pent up aggression. They can also attract violent people, but they certainly do not make people more violent than they already are. This article elaborates on how violent games promote cooperation instead of encouraging aggression: http://www.geekosystem.com/video-game-violence-link-questioned/  

This next video is fairly long (about 9 minutes), but it gives a good explanation on the amount that video games affect violence. He states that there is a small connection between violent video games and violence, and only with kids that are predisposed to violent behavior.  

Obesity

The next point is that online games promote obesity. I personally do not think this is the case at all. If you pay close attention to the eating patterns of Americans, you can see that they eat fast food... a lot. Schools are also cutting physical education programs in many areas. These are the main problems. If you look at a selection of professional gamers, most of them are not obese. Seriously, go to www.majorleaguegaming.com and look through some pictures. These are the best gamers in the world, the ones that spend the most time playing online games, and I would bet that a smaller percentage of these gamers are overweight than the general population.

Gamers are also very competitive people. They want to outplay their opponent in every scenario. This translates well to sports. Gamers have that mindset of wanting to win and overcoming challenges. That's what sports are all about, so it is my belief that gamers are naturally inclined to play sports as well. Video games cultivate an active mind and body. 

Conclusion

Overall, I think that gaming is a positive experience. If you aren't an obsessive individual, gaming is healthy. They are mentally stimulating (Portal 2, Starcraft, Sid Meier's Civilization), they can be physically healthy (Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect, Just Dance), and they improve dexterity (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and all other games played with a controller). Even the most violent of games require and cultivate critical thinking in order to be successful. They can be stress relievers and I guarantee they make a lot of people happy. What's wrong with that?

Week 11: Clear

Image created by Josh: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geojanitor/2432843590/

Data vs. Information. Is there even a difference? Most people, when they hear these two words, equate them to each other. I, for the most part, was one of those people. It's so easy to give in the dark side and say, "Hey, data is the same thing as information." This isn't true. But, the truth is easy enough to understand. Data is raw facts and figures: how many home runs Roger Maris hit in 1961 (a record setting 61 for you non baseball fans) or the number of licks it took to get to the center of a certain Tootsie Pop (the world may never know). Information, on the other hand, is data in context. It is used to answer questions and to support decision making. Information is a trend line where data is the scatter plot. Data is the ammunition. Information is the gun.


I am a HUGE fan of the relationship between data and information. It sounds sad now that I say it, but it is true. I'm currently in a Statistics for Business Decisions class and I love it. AP Stats was one of my favorite classes in high school. Stats is all about taking vast tracts of data and turning it into information. The fact that I can take thousands of numbers and turn them into a single solution to a problem fascinates me. The more data I have, the more confident I can be with my conclusions. The more data I have, the closer I can be to the truth. Probabilities and confidence intervals all come from data. When something so simple can be so powerful, you have my full attention.

Data is extremely important in the business environment. As I mentioned above, statistics is all about making decisions based on data. A class I am taking right now is specifically about statistics in a business environment to make business decisions. Without data, managers would not have information. Without information, managers are not informed. Without being informed, managers can not make good business decision. It all starts with data.

Database Project

I got the opportunity to work with FileMaker Pro 11 this week. You may remember the Excel Project I completed a couple weeks ago. This was very similar in regards to organizing data and making it more useful. I already had a good deal of experience with Excel, but with FileMaker Pro 11 is was starting from scratch. I had never used this software before. Consequently, I learned a great deal more than I did with the excel project. 

• The first skill I learned was how to set up validation of fields. This is very useful in reducing the number of careless errors that appear in a given report. You can either make a list of acceptable "values" that can appear in a certain field, or you specify acceptable values using an equation with operators. Validation is helpful, but only scratches the surface of what FileMaker Pro is capable of. 
• Next, I learned how to create forms using the layout function. This is more of an organization and aesthetic tool. Forms show a single entry with all specified fields. You could make a form that only lists name, birthday, and gender. I don't know how that particular information would be useful in a business environment, but it could be done. Forms are a very clean way of displaying data. 
• The penultimate skill I learned was how to use queries, or "finds" in the case of FileMaker Pro. It's a simple procedure of filtering data by whatever you want really. You want to see all the people with birthdays after January 18, 1975? Easy. How about all the people who are male, from Orlando, and have two dogs? As long as you have a field for gender, city, and number of dogs, you can find this information with a few clicks. 
• Best of all, I learned how to create reports. Yay... Reports, while boring, are a powerful tool for sorting data, organizing it in a clear format, and getting it ready to print. With reports, there are no limitations to how you can sort your data. You can apply finds and print out targeted data. While I learned a lot about FileMaker Pro, there is still so much to be learned. 

There are only a couple enhancements that I can think of that would improve the effectiveness of the database. The first would be a validation for both the Join Date and Left Date. These should be validated through an equation that would not allow dates before the company opened or after the current date. It would be a simple validation and would help to avoid simple errors while entering dates.  It might also be useful to add a saved find that shows all people who have left the gym. By using the find "<=//" in the left date field, only people who have left the gym will show up. These are a couple changes that could reduce mistakes and make the database more useful. 

I also attempted to create a script. I feel that it went very smoothly. I didn't run into any problems, and it worked exactly as I thought it would. There are certain situations in which scripts could be incredibly useful, but for this project it didn't improve efficiency at all. It was a good learning experience for when I use scripts in the future. 

Week 10: Clear

This week I've been working on something special. If spreadsheets get you excited, hold on to your magic carpet, because this week was all about database software! I know this is the moment you've all been waiting for... Now, even though I know none of you were anticipating this particular blog post, database software is a pretty powerful tool in the business environment. This week, I was able to work and learn with FileMaker Pro.

This software is much more powerful than a traditional spreadsheet. One of the capabilities I really loved was the ability to sort through massive amounts of data so easily. Whether it be quantitative or qualitative data, you can find what you need FAST.

Going into this week, I had no experience with database software whatsoever. It was completely new to me. Excel was the paragon of data organization. FileMaker Pro really opens the door to a whole new world (Cue Disney music) of capabilities. Seriously, cue the music...

A couple of the things FileMaker Pro can do that leave Excel behind are:

• Safer Databases and Tables- Now when I say safer, I mean that there are less possibilities for mistakes. There is a fancy trick called "Validations" where only certain values are allowed in certain columns. This greatly cuts down the number of mistakes. In a way, it is a built in proof read.
• Queries or Finds- This makes it much easier to sort through massive amounts of data. You have a class of 500 students and you want to see how many of them are Freshman? Simple. You want to see of those Freshman, how many received an A for their course grade? No problem. Finding information has never been easier. 
• Forms- A wonderful way to sift through more detailed information of a specific field. You can easily see all the grades a certain student received on every assignment throughout the semester. Cluttered data suddenly becomes clear. 
• Reports- Simple procedure to get summary statistics of large groups of data. You can get the summary statistics of a certain field, the whole set of data, or even both on the same sheet of paper. 

Database software goes above and beyond spreadsheet software in so many ways. In baseball terms, spreadsheets are the minor leagues and database software is the "the show". If you want to be apart of the major leagues of business, you should really know your way around database software. It improves efficiency and clarity in ways I could only imagine before this week. 

Week 9: Muddy

Moore's Law in itself is easy enough to understand. It states that the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every eighteen months. This is heavily intertwined with computer performance as well. Computers have been, essentially, doubling in power every eighteen months for decades. But we have come to a point where Moore's Law is in danger of slowing down significantly.

"The important thing is that Moore's Law is exponential, and no exponential is forever... but we can delay forever."      

-Gordon Moore 

Moore himself stated that Moore's law will not last forever. There is a cap on all things, including technology. But have we reached that cap yet? Some scientists believe that we are very close to reaching that cap while others believe we still have a few more decades left under the expansion outlined in Moore's law.

Where things got confusing, to me, was when I started researching what kinds of technology are being researched to keep computing power on the rise. There were a bunch of different ideas I ran across including: silicon nanowires, extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), molecular computing, DNA computing, and quantum computing. From what I understand, the idea is to make everything smaller and more efficient without overheating. A few of these ideas are outlined below.

• Silicon Nanowires- Utilizes a highly efficient cylindrical transistor. This geometry provides the highest efficiency because the entire surface area of the wire is conducting. More in depth (and technical) information can be found here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/16/silicon_nanowires/
• Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography- Etches computer chips with a wavelength of around 14nm while currently technology uses a wavelength of 193nm. This will much more efficient but is not currently precise or controlled enough to be put into effect. More on EUV and other potential lithography techniques can be found here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/15/euv_challenges/
• Quantum Computing- While this is probably the farthest possibility on the horizon, there is the most potential in it. Scientists were able to perform basic multiplication problems using only 5 atoms. Think about that for a second... Scientists were able to prove "3x5=15" with only 5 atoms. That is incredible, but the technology is still very, very young. 

This is another video I found by Michio Kaku talking about several possibilities in the future of computing and some of the problems scientists face trying to bring the technology to the public. Video can also be found at: http://bigthink.com/ideas/42825

 

For a final note on Moore's Law, here are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.

Excel Project

For this project, I was tasked with formatting, manipulating, and analyzing data in a variety of ways using Microsoft Excel. Personally, I was using Microsoft Excel 2004 on a Mac. While this did not affect my ability to fully analyze and format the actual data, it did affect the formatting of the pivot tables. We will get to that a little later on. 

The most important part of this project, in my opinion, was to manipulate the data using accurate formulas and functions. Without accurate formulas and functions, the analysis is wrong. When the analysis is wrong, you are wasting both the time and money of your employers. There were five new columns that I was tasked with creating. The columns, along with the formulas used and procedure of manipulation, are listed below:

1. Maximum Heart Rate (MaxHR) - This was a very simple formula. The calculation was simply to take the subject's age and subtract it from 220. I inserted the formula "=220-B3" for the calculation for subject 1 and copied that formula all the way down the column. Because I used relative cell addressing, the age (B3) changed according to row/subject ID.
2. Target Heart Rate (TgtHR) - For target heart rate, I used the formula "=D3*$E$1". D3 is the maximum heart rate column and cell E1 is the percentage of MaxHR that was desired. In this case, it was 80%. The absolute cell addressing was used for E1 because it allows a single cell to be changed to a new percentage instead of having to alter the formula each time a new percentage is desired. 
3. Highest Heart Rate Achieved (HighestHR) - I used the MAX function, "=MAX()" in order to determine the max heart rate achieved by each person during the workout. Ex: Formula for subject 1 was "=MAX(I3:AC3). I was able to copy and paste this formula down the column because it used relative cell addressing. 
4. Target Achieved (TgtAchieved) - This required the IF function. By using the formula "=IF(F3>=E3, "Yes", "No") for subject one, the cell would read out "Yes" if HighestHR was greater than or equal to TgtHR or "No" if HighestHR was less than TgtHR. This was copied down the column with the use of relative cell addressing. 
5. Heart Rate Increase (PctIncreaseHR) - The formula for this calculation was "=(HighestHR-StartHR)/StartHR". For subject one specifically, this formula was "=(F3-I3)/I3". The cell was then formatted to read this decimal as percentage. 

While these formulas were the most important part of the project, the formatting helped to make it look presentable. Simple formatting like centering, bolding, italicizing, and restricting decimal places was used. Column widths were also adjusted. Formatting the page for printing was also a simple matter of going into "page setup" and altering a few things. In order to keep the first two rows at the top of the page at all times, I used the Freeze Panes function under the Window drop down menu. 

AvgIncrease Pivot Table

Last, but certainly not least, I created the pivot tables. This was the most difficult part for me because I was using Excel 2004 while the lectures used a more recent version of Excel. But, I was able to find the Pivot Tables function and use it without too much problem in order to find the number of people, both male and female, who reached their target heart rate and the average percent increase for various age groups and gender. The pivot tables are not as pretty in Excel 2004, but I tried to format them to make them as attractive and clear as possible. 

I learned a couple new excel tricks while completing this project. My favorite new "trick" was the freeze panes ability. That is very useful when dealing with large quantities of data. I also learned all about pivot tables, which are essential in analyzing large quantities of data. Luckily, I was already familiar with all the functions and formulas needed to manipulate the data. This sped up the process immensely. While I knew a fair deal about excel already, I feel I was able to round out my abilities and increase my efficiency when working with excel.  

Presentation Project: Operation Smile

I actually rather enjoyed working on this presentation project. I was already working on storyboarding another personal video project when this came up. I really enjoy working on videos. While powerpoint presentations aren't really my forte, I was happy to work creatively and for such a great cause. I have been following Operation Smile for a couple years now, and the work they do is amazingly inspiring. Without any further rambling, here is my Operation Smile presentation project!

In case you really want a clickable link, here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drWnjZ4KIF0&feature=channel_video_title

They both lead to the same place, but you can add comments if you go to the youtube page!

Performance wise, I think I turned in a solid project. According to the rubric, I feel that I did quite well in nearly all the categories. When storyboarding my project, I made sure that there was a logical flow and sequencing. I started out with very general information about the charity and gradually went into more depth. I also tried to include transitions from each section to the next. One example is my transition from what cleft lip and palate are to how the money from donations is used. A single sentence helped to create a solid flow in the presentation. 

I attempted to anticipate questions as best as possible. There were times when I simplified the language in order to avoid having to define specific words. I anticipated questions regarding what these conditions are and where the money goes once it is donated. Because I know a good deal about the company, I did not have any questions about the material. But, it is very possible that I did not address a question that somebody could have had while watching the presentation. In three minutes, it is very difficult to answer every possible question and keep the presentation moving along instead of feeling like a Q&A session. I probably could have asked better questions to spark curiosity, but there were attempts in there to keep the audience interested. 

I think I did a good job of grabbing attention in the first 30 seconds of the video. By giving the audience a face and a name, they become emotionally attached to the situation that the baby is going through. I feel this was a good was to get the audience interested in what I had to say. I also think this was effective in setting the context of the presentation. The first minute made it very clear what organization I was talking about and what they aim to do. 

I validated all claims by saying where I got my information from. For instance, the stat about 1 in every 500 births comes from World Health Organization research. I let this be known, and I linked directly to that study in my references. The presentation is clear of all errors as far as I can tell. There were few opportunities for typos and I made sure to research every claim that I made. 

There is no clutter in my powerpoint except for on the credits slide. Everything is spaced nicely with large text to make it very readable. One of the few things I did not like about my presentation was that there is one slide that I felt was too empty. I could have added a little bit more information or graphics or a more interesting background to improve it. I feel like I did a good job of explaining concepts and showing related text or pictures without reading off of any slides. The slides show the basic points I was making, but the majority of the information was in what I was saying. 

I used Powerpoint, iMovie, iPhoto, Garageband, and Digital Photo Professional to put everything together. Audio and video were recorded at the same time, but separately and synced up during editing. It was a good experience for me because it was my first time using a DSLR camera to record video while recording audio separately with a USB microphone. This helped to get both the highest quality audio and video and gave me confidence for future creative video projects. 

Overall, it was a fun and successful project. I had good interactions over twitter for both feedback and support. People helped to critique my video and Operation Smile even tweeted me in support! They really are a class act. 

Week 7: Clear

As I sit here brainstorming about how open source software has impacted my life, my mind constantly wanders back to gaming. For most non gamers, video games are something you buy at Best Buy or GameStop for $60, play for a month or so, and never play again. We'll get to that later. But for now, let's talk a little about what open source software is.

I think Lincoln would be a fan of OSS. Image created by
Scott Robinson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/23394485/

Open source software, or OSS, is free to download from the internet. That in itself is surprising considering how much we all tend to pay for the latest Microsoft and Apple products. But, more importantly, the source code is free to alter and distribute as long as it remains open and free. While most companies protect their source code against all attempts of ascertaining its secrets, OSS freely divulges its inner workings. Why a program behaves the way it does is open knowledge (as long as you are tech savvy enough to understand programming languages). This type of software opens up a world of possibilities to programmers and computer users alike. 

The benefits of open source software include:

• Lower costs- There is no licensing fee for OSS.
• Flexibility- You can alter the code to make it more tailored to your business needs.
• Community- There is a large community of programmers to help improve the code and help with potential problems. 
• Quality- Open source software equals and often exceeds proprietary software in terms of mistakes per thousand lines of code. This article goes into a little more detail on the quality of open source software: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/250543/actually_open_source_code_is_better_report.html

In terms of gaming, open source software has only recently become a factor in blockbuster releases. While the source code for the entire game is not open to modification, a few game studios are offering players the ability to create their own downloadable content. Two games that come to mind are The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Portal 2. These games both won various game of the year awards when they came out and they both released code for programmers to alter in order to modify the game. Programmers were allowed to create new maps, puzzles, and content to modify the visuals, gameplay, and even physics of the game for added enjoyment. Because Bethesda and Valve (the two companies that produce The Elder Scrolls and Portal) are so successful in their decisions as game developers, I believe more and more games will follow suite and allow the modification and distribution of altered content through open source software. This creates much more content to make gamers happier with the hefty $60 price tag on newly released games. 

Week 6: Clear

Software is at the heart of what computers are capable of doing. The possibilities are nearly endless! I have not yet come across a program that enables time travel, but I did find a fancy program that let me write words and print them neatly on paper! I, like many of you, have been using desktop software for many years.

Desktop software is an application designed to do useful work for an individual. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Word processing software (Microsoft Word, Final Draft, Apple Pages)
• Photo editing software (GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, Digital Photo Professional)
• Video editing software (Apple Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas Pro)
• Tax software (TurboTax, TaxACT, CompleteTax)
• Accounting software (Quickbooks, Peachtree, AccountEdge)
• Presentation software (Microsoft Powerpoint, Keynote)

These types of programs are essential to productivity in the business environment. Can you even imagine a world without Microsoft Works? This software has become completely integrated into our productivity based lives. While word processors and presentation software are commonly used in all business situations, I would like to focus on photo editing software as an example of how desktop software allows individuals to get the most out of their work. 

Photo Copyright Matthew Baranyk, 2011

I consider myself to be an advanced amateur as far as photography is concerned. It is a serious hobby of mine. One of the many things that I have learned in my photography studies is to take time to compose an image properly. This means no post processing in a perfect world, and thus no photo editing software. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. When photographers make mistakes, or the highest quality of images are needed, photo editing software is a necessity. Software such as photoshop can not only correct colors and brightness in an image, but they can convert unusable camera RAW files (this file type contains the most amount of information and allows for the highest resolution and most precise editing capabilities in post processing) into common image types such as JPG and TIFF. The images in this post would not have been possible to convert without photo editing software. (I shot all images in RAW and converted to JPG and edited with Digital Photo Professional software. 

Photo Copyright Matthew Baranyk, 2011

Without this software, photography would be more tightly confined to reality. But even without looking at careers in creative photography (which rely heavily on photo editing software), there is a need for editing software. Even news photographers spend a lot of time in post processing to perfect images. Much like photography, all careers rely at least somewhat on desktop software whether it be Microsoft Works, QuickBooks, or some other software. 

Week 5: Clear

I have been exposed to powerpoint presentation ever since elementary school. They are very simple to make. You can go into the powerpoint software, throw a pre-loaded theme onto the slides, over saturate the slides with information, and get up in front of a class to present. That much is simple. Making a powerpoint with a lasting impression, on the other hand, is very difficult. I've seen so many powerpoints fail that it is difficult to figure out what makes a presentation successful. This week, I learned some factors that can make a presentation more memorable and thus, more effective.

While trying to figure out what it is that makes a presentation successful, I came across a few videos on youtube that showed what not to do and include during a presentation. This first video illustrates a couple key points in powerpoint faux pas. While this video is humorous, it does a great job of illustrating common mistakes in powerpoint creation.

• Do not overload slides with text. Less is often more when it comes to getting a point across without putting the audience to sleep. 
• On a similar note, do not read the information on the slides. People can read on their own. You are wasting everybody's time if you read the slides. Prepare slides with main points and communicate details verbally. 
• Black background with white text is not visually stimulating. You will put people to sleep. Create a visually appealing theme that will keep the audience interested in what is on the slide. 
• Do not write "anecdote" on a slide to remind you to tell a story. Rehearse so you know exactly when tell an anecdote or give examples to emphasize a point.
• Create interesting and informative graphics. While the graph in the video was easy to understand, it was forgettable. It blended in too easily with the rest of the slides and background and was thus lost in the plainness of the presentation. 

This is important in the business environment because presentations are vital to informing employees, bosses, and even students in a college setting. A poor presentation can not only go in one ear and out the other, hinder the potential of a company. If employees get nothing out of a boring presentation, it is a waste of time and hinders productivity. While the above are simple guidelines, they will surely improve the quality of the majority of presentations. With the sheer number of powerpoint presentations we are forced to sit through, the least we can hope for is an engaging powerpoint and speaker. 

Week 4: Clear

Rivalry among existing companies is often thought to be the only factor determining how a company approaches its business model. This rivalry does account for a good deal of a company's strategy, but there are other factors that play into the equation. Porter discusses these five forces affecting business strategy in "The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Business Strategy."

These five forces are:

1. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors
2. Threat of New Entrants
3. Threat of Substitute Products or Services
4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers
5. Bargaining Power of Buyers

Image created by Andrew Storms.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/linecon0/1418535765/ 

These concepts are vital to the business environments. They shape the companies behave in the market economy. According to Porter, these general categories encompass all facets that need consideration in determining a business strategy. There are countless companies that have a worthy product, but ultimately fall short because they fail to determining a successful strategy. It is easy to start a business, but by taking into account all five of these competitive forces, companies are much more likely to stay alive and even thrive. 

Week 3: Clear

For a year and a half, I studied mechanical engineering at UF. There was a particular software package called SolidWorks that would not run unless a gatorlink username and password was used to verify my status as a student. This program was essential to several classes as it allowed me to complete design, 3D solid modeling, and motion study projects and homework. Because I live off campus, it was essential for me to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) client to verify my identity in order to access the student version of this software available to students.

UF VPN Authentication Screen

VPNs are typically used to keep sensitive data encrypted. In this manner, employees working away from company offices can send, receive, and access private company information without compromising the security of this information. Another application is to allow access to software that can only be used when connected to a particular network. As mentioned above, I used UF's VPN many times in this manner to access SolidWorks, a program essential to several of my engineering classes. When a person's identity is authenticated through a username and password, access to the network is confirmed. 

The importance of VPNs is growing as companies continue to expand across the country and even worldwide. Employees based in Miami can go to meetings and conferences in Los Angeles or Tokyo and have secure access to company files. A company in Ohio can hire a person in Florida to work at home. VPNs make this a more viable option.

This video from "elithecomputerguy" on youtube clearly illustrates how VPNs work. This video is over 27 minutes long, but there is a lot of good information included. 

 

Week 2: Muddy

Binary has always fascinated me, but not in the sense of how it relates to computers. I was originally introduced to binary numbers in my sophomore year of high school. At this point, my Stanford educated computer engineering cousin was attempting to teach my how to program computers. This sounded fun at the time, but was overwhelming for me at that age. One of the first lessons he gave me during this time was how binary numbers are read by computers. This was very brief, but I understood the simple concept of how computers interpret these strains of ones and zeros. When I came across this topic in class, I understood the basics of binary, but I still had trouble understanding why binary had to be used. I understood how it was interpreted, but I still had trouble understanding why it was necessary.

"ISM 3004 Week 2 Muddy Binary" in Binary

After doing a little bit more research and focusing on this concept more intently than just watching a lecture, I finally began to understand what these binary numbers are all about. A computer stores information in a series of circuits. There are billions and billions of these circuits in any given computer. Because the circuits used in computers can only be turned on or off, they can only be represented by the numbers "0" and "1". Depending on the sequence of zeros and ones, the circuits are storing various information. This website gives good insight into why computers use binary instead of decimal: http://nookkin.com/content/why-computers-use-binary.php

While there is still a great deal that I do not know about the programming of computers, I am able to understand what a byte of binary represents. For my choice in career, I don't think I will make much use of this information. But, it is an interesting hobby to learn binary, as it is essentially a language.

Photo Copyright Matthew Baranyk, 2012

Week 1: Clear

Netiquette is a set of guidelines and standards on how to interact with others over the internet. Many of these guidelines are common sense, but others can be very useful for users new to various online communities. Netiquette changes from various environments. How a person behaves on twitter and facebook is different from the way a person should conduct themselves while sending intra office emails.

Some general netiquette guidelines include:

• Be respectful of those you are interacting with. 
• Check information for accuracy before sending an email or posting to a website. 
• Be helpful and add to the community. 
• Don't self promote too much. Interact and promote the work of other deserving people.  

In the business environment, netiquette is becoming more and more important. Companies are increasingly computerized. Social networks are being incorporated into nearly all businesses. Twitter and facebook are becoming more important for the publicity of many companies, while customer support emails continue to greatly affect the public image of these companies. No matter the online medium, netiquette can make or break a company's image. 

Recently, the company Ocean Marketing committed many significant blunders in customer service by ignoring nearly all standards of netiquette. Through a single strain of emails to a customer, Paul Christoforo, the owner and single employee of the company, destroyed his company's image and will likely not get any work for a long time in the marketing industry. The series of emails can be seen here: http://venturebeat.com/2011/12/27/ocean-marketing-how-to-self-destruct-your-company-with-just-a-few-measly-emails/